Driving Noise Level: Measure Car and Helmet Noise in dB

How loud was that ride?

Apple Watch measures the sound level around you. Odo puts it on each trip, next to your speed, so you can see how loud your car, your helmet or the road really is.

Why it matters

Noise you live with every day is easy to stop noticing. Long exposure to loud sound can damage hearing for good, and on a motorcycle the wind noise inside your helmet rises with speed. Seeing the numbers for your own trips shows when earplugs or a quieter route are worth it.

On every trip.

Turn on Health in Settings and every trip with Apple Watch sound readings shows its noise level.

  • Average, peak and lowest level in decibels
  • Noise & Speed chart for the trip
  • Noise by speed range, and stopped versus moving
  • The loudest moments, and time at each level: under 70, 70 to 80, 80 to 90, and 90 dB or more

Made for riders, too.

On motorcycle trips, Odo describes the readings in terms of the noise in your helmet. Wind noise climbs with speed, and the noise-by-speed breakdown shows where it gets loud.

  • See the speed at which your ride gets loud
  • Compare helmets, visors or earplugs over the same route
  • Works on rides you recorded before you turned it on

Measured by Apple Watch.

Readings come from the Noise app on Apple Watch, which saves environmental sound levels to Apple Health. Apple’s Noise app marks 80 dB and above as loud.

  • Turn on the Noise app’s environmental sound measurements on your watch
  • Odo reads the readings taken during each trip
  • Read-only, never copied, stored or synced

How to set it up

  1. 1

    Turn on Noise on your watch

    Make sure the Noise app on your Apple Watch measures environmental sound levels.

  2. 2

    Turn it on in Odo

    Open Settings → Health, turn on Show Health Data on Trips and allow Environmental Sound Levels in the Apple Health prompt.

  3. 3

    Open a trip

    The noise level appears on the trip’s details, including trips you recorded earlier.

Odo isn’t a medical device. The level is measured at your wrist, so it includes everything around you, and isn’t the same as the sound inside your ear.

Sources

Questions about Noise level on your trips

How loud is it inside a car or a motorcycle helmet?

It depends on the vehicle, the road and your speed. Odo shows the average, peak and lowest level for each of your own trips, measured by Apple Watch, and how the level changes with speed.

How loud is too loud?

Apple’s Noise app marks 80 dB and above as loud. The US workplace guideline from NIOSH is 85 dBA averaged over 8 hours, and every 3 dB louder halves the safe time. The WHO-ITU safe listening standard uses 80 dB for 40 hours a week for adults.

Can wind noise on a motorcycle damage my hearing?

It can. Wind noise inside a helmet grows with speed and can pass these guideline levels on long rides at highway speed. Odo's noise by speed shows where your ride gets loud, so you can decide when to wear earplugs.

Do I need an Apple Watch for noise levels?

Yes. Noise levels come from the Noise app on Apple Watch. Heart rate works with any device that saves to Apple Health.

Does Odo use my iPhone microphone to measure noise?

No. Odo reads the sound levels your Apple Watch already saved to Apple Health. It doesn't use the microphone for this.

Works well with

Heart rate on your trips

Your heart rate from Apple Health on every trip: average, peak, and how it changes with speed and braking.

Learn more

For riders

Motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and e-bikes: ride tracking, gauges and routing built for two wheels.

Learn more

Apple Watch app

Start, pause, resume and stop trips from your wrist, or ask Siri.

Learn more

Last updated

Download Odo.

For iPhone and iPad with iOS 18.6 or later, and Apple CarPlay.

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